After going undefeated this week, let’s dive into some trends that have risen and fallen for the Milwaukee Bucks as they find their groove this 2020-21 season.
It was clearly a successful week for the Milwaukee Bucks last week.
The Bucks rose to 9-4 on the 2020-21 season after dominating the Orlando Magic in a 121-99 victory Monday night, sweeping the Detroit Pistons in their season series Wednesday night and edging out the Dallas Mavericks in a 112-109 win by the skin of their teeth.
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Now up to four straight victories going into their highly anticipated matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on MLK Day, the Bucks have found their groove after going through some early season ups and downs.
So without further ado, it’s that time to explore some of the rising and falling trends that stood from the last week for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks 3-point defense has been a rising trend.
I’m happy to report that the Bucks did a much better job of defending the three point line this week.
While Milwaukee still gave up some decent percentages like surrendering 40 percent from the Pistons’ 35 attempts on Wednesday night or allowing the Mavericks to go 13-for-36 from three Friday night, the Bucks made each team work for it more than they have.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer rolled out different coverages to address what has been the Bucks’ biggest weakness early this season and in previous playoff exits, whether it was switching or bringing the Bucks’ bigs further up the floor to trap opposing ball handlers. The Bucks’ defensive standing has been elite under Budenholzer’s watch, but their increased flexibility he and the team are showing has been incredibly encouraging to say the least.
We’ll obviously stay tuned to how the Bucks continue to try and address their weakness of letting opposing teams let it fly over the course of the season. But their growing versatility has helped them improve their defense to the point where they stand eighth in defensive efficiency, per NBA.com/stats.